CMS says claims are processing normally under ICD-10

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today said that “claims are processing normally” following the Oct. 1 transition to ICD-10. CMS released data from Oct. 1 through Oct. 27 for Medicare fee-for-service claims that were submitted, rejected and denied, and the results are consistent with data prior to ICD-10. “The data CMS released today indicate claims are being received and passing the first round of edits at rates similar to pre-ICD-10 levels,” said George Arges, senior director of AHA’s health data management group. “We are encouraged by these early results but note that the normal rate for processing claims from submission to payment is an average of 43 days. Therefore, we will not have a complete assessment of the transition until mid-November.” Effective Oct. 1, health care claims must include ICD-10 codes for medical diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures. For more on the transition to ICD-10, visit www.aha.org and www.cms.gov.